Call the Midwife has been hailed BBC One’s most popular new drama ever.

The period drama, about a group of London midwives in London's East End in the 1950s, drew an average 8.7 million viewers across its first series, which finished on Sunday night.

The average overnight figure – which represents a 30 per cent overall audience share – makes it the channel’s most-watched drama series since the current audience measuring system was introduced in 2001.

Adapted by Heidi Thomas from the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, the show created by independent producer Neal Street Productions, charts the experiences of newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee, played by Jessica Raine, as she arrives in the Isle of Dogs.

Sunday night's series climax, which saw Chummy Brown, played by Miranda Hart, marry PC Noakes, was watched by 9.2 million viewers.

By comparison, ITV’s Downton Abbey averaged 8.4 million viewers during its first series.